Machine for clearing fields, roads, or the like.



(No. 724,650. PATENTED APR. 7, 1903. I

J. ZOBEL.

MACHINE FOR CLEARING FIELDS, ROADS, OR THE LIKE.

APRLIOATION FILED AUG. 14, 1900. no MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHE'S! 1.

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No. 124,650. PATENTED APR. 7, 1903. V J. ZOBEL.

MACHINE FOR CLEARING FIELDS, ROADS, OR THE LIKE APPLIOATION FILED AUG.14, 1900'. I

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PATENTED APR. 7, 1903.

J. ZOBEL.

'MAOHINE FOR CLEARING FIELDS, ROADS, OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION TILED AUG. 14, 1900.

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N0 MODEL.

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No. 724,650. PATENTED APR. 7, 1903.

- J. ZOBEL.

MACHINE FOR CLEARING FIELDS, ROADS, OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. 1900. no MODEL.

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UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS ZOBEL, OF JULIUSBURG, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR CLEARING FIELDS, ROADS, OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,650, dated April 7,1903. Application filed August 14, 1900. Serial No. 26,848. (No modeL)for clearing away grass, wild herbs, and weeds of all kinds on highways,in parks, and the like; and it allows at the same time the planing ofthe road upon which the machine is operating.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way ofexample, in a preferred form of construction.

inengagement with the pinion 8,mount ed' upon the shaft 9, journaled inthe frame 6,

and to the other extremity of which is secured the gear-wheel 10,engaging with the gearwheel 11. The latter is mounted upon a shaft 12,which is rotatably journaled in the frame 6, like the shafts 3 and'9.Upon the shaft 12 is mounted a drum 13, upon the surface of which arearranged several series of prongs 14, arrangedradially in rows, (therebeing six rows, for instance, in the preferred form of constructionshown in the drawings,) so that the prongs of one row alternate withthose of the next succeeding or next following row. A rebounding-plate15, rigidly fixed to the frame, is arranged behind the drum 13. Upon thefront side of the machine I arrange two knives 16 17, (best shown inFigs. 3 and 4 of the drawings,) which are set at an angle to each other.The knives inclose a wedgeshaped double knife 18. Though the length ofthe knives is optional, still it is ofcourse preferable to so adjust thelength and size of Fig. 3 is a top view, and Fig. 4 is a' the knivesthatthe cutting will be effected upon the whole breadth of the machinein one operation. The wedge-shaped arrangement of the knives first actsto part the grass or weeds and turns them to the side, and in the ratioas the machine advances the stalks are compressed by theconstantly-narrowing space between the knives 18 and 17 and 18 and 16,respectively, and they are thereby forced again st the blades of theknives and cut clear :Ofi. A plowshare 19 is fixed at the outside of theframe 6. The parts 16 to 19am secured to the said frame by means ofstays and crossbars 20 21 22 23. The front end of the frame 6 iscontinued at 24, Figs. 1 and 2. In the middle or about in the middle ofthe said continuation 24 is journaled the spindle 25,

to the extremity of which is attached the hand- Figures 1 and 2 show thedevice in side view wheel 26, and which may be turned up and down bythreads provided in the continuation 24, which terminates in a loop orring 50, by means of which the extremity of the frame is guided alongthe bar 27. The hook 28 is secured to the loop 50 by its forked ends, sothat it will be displaced along with the frame upon the bar or bolt 27.of the bolt 27 is fastened to the frame 29, Fig. 3, upon which arejournaled the wheels 30 31 upon theshaft 32. A lug 33 upon the frame 29serves as a support for the spindle 25.' To

the rear part of the frame 6 is journaled the pair of wheels 34 35 uponthe shaft 36, Figs.-

1 to 3. Upon the same shaft 36 are rotatably mounted the bars 37 38,Figs. 3 and 4, which are rigidly connected with each other by the shaft39. Upon the shaft 36 is also rotatably mounted the connecting-piece 40,through the slotted extremity 41 of which passes the connecting-rod 42,which latter is rigidly attached to the frame 6, Figs. 2and 3. Upon theframe 6 is further rotatably mounted at 43 the two-armed lever 44, whichis pivoted at its front end to the connecting-rod 39. The

stays or bars 37 38, which are attached to the.

rod 39, are loosely passed through fish-plates 45 46, fixed to theframe6, both the fish-plates and the bars 37 38 being provided'withholesfor adjustment in various positions by means of the pins 47 48. v g

The device described operates as follows: The driving-wheels 1 and 2,which in order The lower extremity to prevent their gliding upon thesoil are provided with spurs 49, by their rotation actuate thegear-wheels 7 310 11 and the drum 13. Now since at the same time thewhole machine is advancing it is obvious that the herbs and grass infront ofthe machine will thereby also be cut or raised by the knives 1617 18, so as to come within reach of the drum 13, the prongs of whichcatch hold of the grass, weeds, and sods of soil, tear the same intominute fragments, and throw the pulverulent mass against the plate 15,from which the heavier earth and then the lighter grass and weeds arethrown back, the grass and weeds being deposited on top of the heavierearth, so that they may be easily raked together after the machine haspassed, the heavier earth particles serving at the same time to coverany deep cuts or fissures that might have been made by the knives or theplowshare. I also provide means whereby after the operation of removingthe weeds, grass, and the like is finished the wheels 1 and 2 may bethrown out of gear and the wheels 34 35 thrown into action, by means ofwhich the machine is driven forward without doing any work. In Fig. 1 ofthe accompanying drawings I have shown the machine in this position, thedouble-armed lever 44 being raised at its rear and depressed with itsother extremity, so as to lower the wheels 34 35 from the position theyassume in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, where theytouch the ground. The depression of the front end of the lever 44 alsoresults in the raising of the frame on the connecting-rod 40, andconsequently of the wheels 1 and 2, which are thereby raised out ofcontact with the soil, so that their rotation and that of the wholemechanism of the machine is stopped. The spindle 25 is then rotated,whereby the front end of the machine is raised, so that the machine isnow resting upon the wheels 30 31 34 35.

When the machine is operating, the spindle 25 serves to raise or lowerthe frames 6 and 24, whereby the knives 16 17 18 and the plowshare 19are correspondingly raised or lowered and made to cut the soil todifferent depths. The plowshare 19 serves for cutting away the grass andweeds at the side of the road and in front of the wheel 2, which are notacted upon by the drum 13.

be equalized partly by the tails of the knives,

having more of a shaving smoothening action and also by the subsequentraking operation, as above set forth.

It is obvious that my machine is capable of various modifications in theform and construction of the different parts without departing therebyfrom the spirit of my inventlon.

I am aware that it is not new to use the driving-wheels as a means tooperate a drum; but in the former constructions the cutting action waschiefly efiiected by knives or blades attached to said drum, while inmyinvention the drum has only a distributing and grinding action on thepreviously-cut-olf material. I am also aware that it is not broadly newto employ angularly-arranged cutting-blades in connection with means toraise the wheels of the machine; but this is entirely different from myinvention, where two sets of angularlyarranged knives are used, themiddle part of which acts as a wedge; nor was it known before myinvention to employ two sets of wheels in connection with inclinedcuttingknives and with means to render one set of the wheels inoperativeand throw the other into action whenever desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. A machine for clearing roads, parks and the like and for cutting awayshrubs, grass and the like,comprising the combination with wheels and arotating drum operated by said wheels of cutting-knives forming a zigzagline and a frame wherein the said knives and the actuating-wheels forthe drum are rigidly mounted, separate front and back wheels, looselyand independently mounted in said frame and means whereby any pair ofwheels and the knives may be raised or lowered.

2. A machine for clearing roads and cutting shrubs and the like,comprising a frame, cutting-knives, fastened to said frame and arrangedin a zigzag line, a lever fulcrumed in said frame and wheels separatefrom said frame and operated by said lever, drivingwheels mounted insaid frame, a. drum actuated by said driving-wheels and operativeconnection between the lever and said frame whereby the wheels may bealternately raised or lowered by operating said lever, substantially asdescribed.

3. A machine for clearing roads and cutting shrubs and the like,comprising a frame, cutting-knives fastened to said frame and arrangedin a zigzag line, front and rear wheels mounted loosely in said frame, adrum and driving-wheels for said drum mounted rigidly in said frame,means journaled in the frame to change the relative positions of thesaid frame and of the front and rear wheels respectively in combinationwith means to lock the frame in position, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for clearing roads and for cutting shrubs and the like,in combination, a frame, carrying driving-wheels and cuttingknivesarranged in a zigzag line, a drum operated by said driving-wheels, frontand rear wheels in front and at the rear of the drivingwheels andseparate from the frame, a connecting-arm rigid on the shaft of the rearIIO wheels, one end of said arm being slotted, a In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my connecting-rodin the driving-wheei-supporthand inpresence of two witnesses.

ing frame and displaceabie within the slotted arm and means to operatesaid arm whereby JULIUS ZOBEL' the driving-wheels and the cutting-knivesWitnesses:

may be displaced contrary to the displace- AUGUST WAKILOTZ,

ment of the rear wheels. HERMANN BARTSCH.

